Lucy has herself draped over the couch, any other day I might think she's just tired but I know it's because of Owen, her brother. I never even thought about her having a brother. I also know it's because she's still trying to find a way to tell me everything.

"Lucy, you want me to make you some tea?" I ask. She nods and stare at the pillow as she twirls a tassel around her finger. I think she found that at one of those summer stands that pop up all along the streets.

"Here." I wrap her hands around her favorite cup, the one with an Eiffel tower and Paris written across it. "can we please talk about this now?" I plead with her, looking her in the eyes. She sighs and takes a sip of the steaming cup.

"Owen got into meth and he already had a drinking problem and my mom has been an alcoholic since as long as I can remember." She takes a breath, "I left my mom and brother three years ago to live my own life." She starts "for a few months I tried to help them, stay in contact but… but then they kept calling me to yell at me and they'd show up to my apartment at all hours screaming at me to come home and eventually kicked out of my apartment because they caused too much of a disruption." Lucy fiddles with the tea bag. I wait for her to continue.

"I just… I couldn't be around it anymore." She shakes her head "they stole from each other and accused each other and it was just to a point where they were constantly under some kind of influence and I just… I just couldn't take it anymore." Lucy is so gentle and loving I used to think the only way she could do that was

"You didn't do anything wrong, Lucy." I tell her "you don't let people treat you the way I've seen them treat you, you deserve better than that."

"It took me a really long time to figure that out." Lucy says, "but it didn't make leaving them or cutting them off any easier." She looks to me "I love them, I really do but… they didn't want help." She bounces the tea bag in the cup. She sighs "I just didn't want to think about them anymore, I wanted to make my own life with people who really care about me and… I didn't want them to ruin it to ruin…" she trails off and takes my hand.

"You thought he'd scare me away from you?' I ask her, she lifts her eyes to mine as she nibbles on her bottom lip.

"I didn't know we'd get so close and so I didn't want to say anything at first because of that but then I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want you to think there was something wrong with me because of them and I didn't want you to think badly of me and because I abandoned them."

"Lucy, no." I put her tea aside and take her hands as I kneel on the floor in front of her. "Nothing and no one on this planet could make me think any differently of you."

"You say that now, Natsu but you didn't know me then and I just wanted to be free of them and talking about them, thinking about them… it's like they still have a part of me and they just won't let it go."

"Your mom, your brother… they have nothing to do with the kind of person you were or are or anything." I tell her "I am in love with you, Lucy, I want to wake up to you dancing to your different playlists and I want to go to bed with you in my arms and I want to spend my life with you, Lucy."

She smiles and she interlaces our fingers together. "you want to spend your life with me?"

"Yes, of course I do, I've wanted to since our third date when you were laying on the blanket and talking about all the places you wanted to go and how amazing life is." I kiss her hands "you have this way of making everything feel like it's so special, like I'm so special."

She smiles wider "really?' it's like she can't believe it.

"You make me want to be better and you remind me every day that even when I don't believe in myself, you believe in me and when I wonder how someone so amazing and so kind can be so in love with me and you reassure me that you are, no matter how many times I need it."

"You really mean that?" she asks but her eyes tell me she believes me already.

"Of course I do, Lucy."

"well, then…" she laughs, all giddy and sweet and Lucy.

"Let get married." she says.

"What?" I ask but I can't help the smile on my face.

"Right now," she says "we'll go down to the court house and we'll get married, we don't need a big thing. I don't need a ring." She sits up and takes my hands in hers "I just need you, Natsu."

"Are you sure?" I ask her.

"Yes, if we decide we want a big ceremony, later, when we have more money, we can but I just want to be married to you. I want to be Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel."

Lucy's eye are alight with excitement. She wraps her hand around the puzzle piece necklace she hasn't take off since I'd given it to her. "We're a perfect match, Natsu." She looks at me with her big eyes and I can't help it.

Yeah." I say, "yeah, let's do it."

"I'll call Juvia and Grey and they can meet us here and we'll all go down and she can be my maid of honor and Grey can be your first man and it'll be cute." Lucy jumps up and grabs her phone and down the hall.

"call your grandma, she'd be mad if we got married without her." Lucy yells before closing the door

"Juvia, guess what!" Lucy giggles on her way down the hall

"I only have one suit!" I call after her, my writer's/ interview suit. She peaks her head out the door, her eyes wide and her shoulders bare.

"I'd marry you in your boxers." She says. My heart is pumping faster than it should be possible. I shouldn't be able to feel this much.

"Hurry up, the court house closes at 3:00 and we need to get a marriage license." Lucy calls. I run down the hall with her as she pulls a robe over some something pink. She smiles when she catches me.

"Groom can't see the bride in the dress until the ceremony." She says, mischief in her eyes. She steps into a pair of heels that are mostly straps. They're kind of a gold pink color. She grabs her favorite flower crown from the dresser, the one that has two strings that fall down her back.

"Lucy!" Juvia's voice pierces through the phone.

"I'm here." Lucy grabs the phone and her tiny purse, the one she uses for nice dinners and runs out.

"Hurry!" Lucy tells me as I struggle into my pants.

"I'm coming." I laugh. I don't care what happens tomorrow. I just want to know Lucy is mine, on her driver's license, on our taxes. I want to have those pointless decorative towels that you don't actually use but have our names on them and they just hang there next to each other to remind you you're a set.

"Natsu!" Lucy giggles "Juvia and Grey are on their way!" Her voice is so happy I could die right here and regret nothing.

"Almost-" I smack against the ground, my leg tangled in the wrong leg. I flip onto my back and yank them on. I tuck my shirt in and I grab my jacket and my tie, the only one I have, the one with the stains on it and I yank on my beat-up loafers and tuck my wallet into the pocket and I run out to meet Lucy.

"Vows." She says handing me a piece of paper and pen. "We have to write our own vows."

"Okay." I agree. She giggles and she sits at the table and she's scribbling away. I sit on the couch and start my own.

Juvia and Grey are there an hour later. Juvia dressed in a simple knee length Navy blue dress and matching heels.

"Lucy!" Juvia screams grabbing hold of Lucy and jumping up and down with her. Lucy is so happy, so free looking. I love her reactions, they're so pure.

"Oh, my gosh, I can't believe it!" Juvia hugs Lucy and Lucy squeezes Juvia. "I'm so happy for you."

Grey clasps me on the back "finally did it?" Grey asks. I shake my head "I asked her about it a few weeks ago… she did it just now."

"Lucy's good like that." Grey nods "she doesn't wait for what she wants."

"I guess I know she wants me." I have to swallow the emotions bubbling up because Lucy is all I want.

"Guess so." Grey punches me in the arm.

"Dude." I look at him, my confusion evident on my face.

"This was a hundred times better than my proposal, now Juvia is going to get on me about this," Grey feigns annoyance but I know him.

"Grey." I say seriously "Will you be my best man?"

Grey shakes his head, "why do you think Juvia put me in a suit?" He can't help the smile on his face "yeah, man. I'll be your best man." Grey hugs me and the girls jump on us.

"Time limit!" Juvia shouts at us tugging us toward the door. Lucy snatches her paper from the table and lets Juvia drag her out.

"Let go!" Lucy runs ahead of all of us, even in her heels she's not limited. I love her limitless. Juvia struggles to keep up, Grey jumps in front of Juvia and lifts her onto his back and he runs after Lucy.

"Natsu!" Lucy calls for me "hurry!" She swipes her metro card and she swings around the gate and she waits for us bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Did you call your grandma[GM1] yet?" Lucy asks.

"I'm doing it right now." I say.

I think my grandma screamed louder than Lucy and that is a feat in itself. I laugh and Lucy giggles uncontrollably, unable to contain her excitement.

"Get your marriage license," Grandma says, "I'll get her a bouquet and I'll bring a minister to the park you had your third date." Grandma hangs up, ready to get stuff done.

"She's getting your bouquet." I laugh.

"She's already got it up in her sewing room." Lucy says, her phone out snapping pictures of all of us.

"What?' I ask posing with Grey in front of a poster.

"Yeah, who do you think made the dress?" Lucy asked snapping another picture with Juvia, Grey and me.

"She made that dress?" I ask, not that I can see it under the robe.

"Yeah, she said she didn't want anyone but me to be her granddaughter in law." Lucy passes the phone off to Juvia and Juvia snaps some pictures of Grey and me flanking Lucy on either side and then we all squeeze in for a group picture.

"Close your eyes." Lucy says.

"What, why?" I ask.

"Because I want to get a picture with the dress but you can't see it." She explains.

"but everyone else gets to see it?' I laugh. She gives me a look "alright." I give in "eyes are closed."

"Perfect, now say cheese." She snaps a few pictures before giving me permission to open my eyes.

Even in a bathrobe on a subway train, she is beautiful. Not just because she's physically beautiful but because she makes everything around her glow. I squeeze her hand and Juvia snaps a picture of that. Even Grey gets in on it and snaps pictures of us and nothing else matters.

People talk about cold feet when getting married. Looking at Lucy, it's like fear ceases to exist. It's just Lucy and my feet are toasty warm.


Dear Natsu,

There is only one thing I've ever wanted out of life. I wanted to be loved unconditionally and completely and I didn't know what form to find it in but here you are. Here you are at two in the morning tapping away at your laptop and sipping your coffee, that sweater you wear when you're cold and writing because it looks like a stereotypical writers or scholar type cardigan. Or maybe you just wear it because your mom gave it to you and it reminds you of her and it makes you feel close to her. I love the way you look in it any which way you turn it.

I love you Natsu if I'm ever gone, please remember that.

P.s. That's not fair, when I'm gone please remember that. I love you. I love you with everything in me.

Lucy


Author's Note:

I'm excited to see this in print, i have my first copy if you're interested in future give aways or just keeping up tp date on my current work and upcoming works you can follow me on ig nunchigoya or .

my OG readers of all works get priority when it comes to receiving free things. I'll be giving out a few printed copies and several digital copies of Every Reason I Loved Her. i do design my own fabrics and the give away will include a booksleeve, book mark and printed copies of the book.

I'll give a code when it's giveaway time to my fanfic readers at the conclusion of this story.

Thanks so much for the support and i hope to see you over on my ig. if you don't have an ig or prefer a different social media feel free to PM me. I'd love for those who supported me early on to receive gifts from me.

As Always thanks you so much for reading and the comments and i look forward to seeing you tomorrow

XOXO